WB govt bars employees from sharing official information with media sans prior sanction

The West Bengal government has clarified and reaffirmed existing conduct rules for its employees, prohibiting them from sharing official documents or criticising state and central policies without sanction.

The West Bengal government has issued a circular reiterating existing conduct rules for its employees, which prohibit them from sharing official documents or information with the media without sanction and publicly criticising state and central policies.

The state government later issued a clarification specifying that the directive would apply only to officers and staff of regular state government establishments and organisations under its administrative control.

A circular issued by the office of the chief secretary said the existing conduct rules governing members of the All India Services, West Bengal Civil Service, West Bengal Police Service and other state government employees would be strictly enforced.

Amid discussions over the scope of the directive, the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department later issued a memorandum clarifying that the provisions would apply to employees of the state government, boards, corporations, undertakings and other parastatal bodies functioning under the administrative control of the government.

''The idea is to remind employees of the provisions already laid down in the conduct rules regarding interaction with the media and dissemination of information,'' a senior official told PTI.

The circular referred to provisions of the AIS Conduct Rules, 1968, and the West Bengal Government Servants' Conduct Rules, 1959.

Government employees have been prohibited from directly or indirectly sharing any document or information with the media without approval, he said.

It also bars employees from participating in privately produced or sponsored media programmes without prior sanction and from contributing articles, broadcasts or publications without government clearance.

The circular further stated that employees would not be allowed to make any public criticism of policies or decisions of either the state or central government through ''publication, interaction, utterance, broadcast or contribution in any media''.

Public communication that could strain relations between the state and central governments, between states, or with foreign governments has also been disallowed.

The clarification memorandum stated that the provisions of the circular would be applicable ''only to the officers and staff working under regular establishments of (the) Government of West Bengal as well as Boards, Corporations, Undertakings and other Parastatal organisations.''.

Another senior official said the clarification was issued to remove ambiguity regarding the categories of employees covered under the directive.

''The circular only reiterates existing service conduct norms. The clarification was necessary to specify the establishments and organisations that fall within its ambit,'' the official added.

The memorandum has been circulated to all departments, divisional commissioners, district magistrates, the Director General and Inspector General of Police, and the Kolkata Police Commissioner for necessary action.